Wishful Thinking
by Arania10
Summary: Little one-chapter story between Castle and Alexis. You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.


"Dad! You're home!" Alexis greeted him immediately as he entered the loft.

"Hey, my little book worm!" Castle pulled his daughter into one of those feel-good family sitcom hugs that only perfect families could pull off. "Where'd the merry mood come from? Last time I saw you, you were brooding over your cancelled date with Ashley."

"Well, Dad. Sweet, wonderful, brilliant, loving, brave, charismatic, charmin- "

"-As much as I appreciate your doting words, daughter, I cannot help but wonder what it is you want from me. So spill."

"Why would _I_ want something from you?" She played along, knowing full well that she used this ploy on him every time she wanted something. "I'm really not as transparent as you believe me to be, you know."

"I raised you. I know _all_ your tricks. You want something and you don't think there's a snowball's chance in you-know-where for me to agree to it-whatever _it_ is. Spill."

"Well. It's a two-parter, really."

"Go on…" Castle eyed her suspiciously.

"Well. I ran into Detective Beckett this afternoon on my way back from shopping. She was on her way to meet up with - - nevermind. Not important." Castle's expression had momentarily darkened but in an instant it was back to as it had been. "Anyways! I saw her riding around on her motorcycle. You know that '94 Harley Softail she has?"

"I don't like where this is going." Castle quickly muttered under his breath.

"And it got me to thinking…" Castle thought to himself: _Oh, no. No, no, no. "Thinking" is what gets people into sticky situations. Please don't ask- _"Dad?"

Castle grimaced, waiting for the inevitable.

"Can I get a motorcycle?" She placed the perfect expression of innocence mixed with hope on her face. You trap more flies with honey than with vinegar after all.

"Alexis. Sweetie, love of my life, my pride and joy, the best daughter in the universe, kind, generous, thoughtf-"

"-So that's a no?"

"It's… it's a… uhm… Alexis?" Castle was having a difficult time processing this request. And he hated to flat out tell her no. She was a responsible, young adult who deserved to be given a fighting chance to make her case even with the wildest of propositions.

"Yes, Dad?"

He couldn't handle it, though. He hoped that this was just a phase, it'd pass, and she'd forget about this silly pipe dream in a few weeks. "Can you perhaps ask me this again in another 10? 20? 30 years from now? Maybe after I've long left this world?"

"I'll let you think about it, okay?"

Being the kind of father Castle was, he agreed to that for the time being. "And so what's part-two?"

"You know how Ashley's going away to France this summer to study abroad?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I hadn't told you at the time, thinking there was no way I'd be accepted into the program, but I applied too. Aaaaand, I just got my acceptance letter." She smiled.

"Isn't that program three months long?"

Alexis averted her eyes for the first time in the conversation. "Yes. It is. But Dad, I can go and learn and visit the Louvre and -" _…hopelessly fall in love with Ashley and forget all about me, _Castle imagined."It would be a fantastic experience! And I've been saving up my money. You'd only have to pitch in a couple hundred dollars. Pleeeeease?"

This was by far more reasonable than the motorcycle inquiry, yet almost just as difficult to swallow. Three months without his baby. "What about the Hamptons? And my book tour is going to New Orleans, San Francisco, and Chicago this year! You love those cities! We can eat at that little place by the waterfront in New Orleans and tour the -"

"Dad." Alexis stared at her father seriously. No more pleading; she settled on just pure and simple reasoning. "This is one of the biggest opportunities I've had so far. I won't always be around. I'm going off to college in a year or so. It'll just be a taste of what's yet to come. For both of us. At least consider it?"

Castle hesitated. Letting his little girl fly off to a foreign country for an extended period of time did not sound appealing, but at least she'd have someone there who cared about her and would hopefully look out for her. "I'm gonna have to look at all the details of this program: where you're staying and studying, the cost, and every little piece of information I can glean from their professional, glossy brochures." Alexis held her stare as much as possible though conscious of the hopeful smile that was creeping up the corners of her mouth. "…but I can't honestly come up with a suitable excuse for you not to go right now."

"Thank you, Dad! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" His breath was knocked out as his daughter came flying up to him at breakneck speed with a ferocious bear hug. "Thank you! I promise that I'll call you. Every day. And I'll try to send some postcards – or just lots of emails with pictures. I can't wait to tell Ashley! Oh, thank you! And I'll bring you all the information in just a little bit, Dad!"

She ran up the stairs to her room, undoubtedly to retrieve her phone and inform her boyfriend that it was a yes. Castle made his way to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of scotch. He huffed as he sank into the couch, mulling over this recent turn of events. _Three months._ He thought. _Three months. In France. With her boyfriend. And I've just essentially agreed to it. When did everything change? _He sat there for a good long while, just ruminating. And then he realized his daughter was right. She wasn't quite as transparent as he thought she had been; she still had some tricks he hadn't seen coming. That motorcycle bit was just an act. Open with the impossible, and then the improbable becomes twice as likely to pull through. Genius. _That sneaky, brilliant child of mine played me like a fiddle. I guess I must have done something right._ He smiled to himself.

_Best. Dad. Ever._


End file.
